Lesson 10 - In this lesson, I learned about what subclasses are and why we need them. Whereas a class describes the components and produces objects that function according to the class instructions, a subclass creates a similar component that uses much of the same instructions of another class. It is used to create cleaner, more manageable code. I was also introduced to the UIKit which is provided by Apple. In this kit, there are a great number of ready-made classes that can be called-up. This eliminates the need to create each class from scratch and saves time once you know what they know and how they work.
Lesson 11 - This lesson worked with IBOutlet Properties and how to move your storyboard items to code. The images and buttons I put on my storyboard previously are actually visual representations of classes that get turned into objects. I was able to convert my storyboard to code and add some basic functions to it such as having the name of the 'Deal' button change to 'Play'.
Lesson 12 - This lesson showed me how o create code that accepts input data and returns a value based on designate parameters. In an earlier lesson, I was able to set values within a class and manipulate them with hard code. This time, however, I learned to have the code take an inputed number and automatically deal with it in a designated way to return a result; in this case, increase the age by 5. I also learned how to create a result for a button tap. I added an action method to my 'Deal' button with Touch Up Inside (a button tap). In this case, I had the button that I had changed before to 'Play' change to 'Play Round'
While I didn't do much significant building of my app this week, I did get a better insight into the working of the underlying code. It is sure nice that companies have provided toolkits like the UIKit for developers to create apps with. For beginners like me, the visual interface and ready-made classes are very helpful in creating a basic app. It reminds me of my first attempts at making a website many years ago when there were no template drag and drop tools. Everything had to be coded and compiled to make a product. Nowadays, we can use a site like Weebly to easily create a variety of styles of webpages.
Another nice thing is that many of the tools are free and / or open source and you don't have to pay royalties for the code and building blocks of your product. I suppose, you do indirectly when you subscribe to Premium versions with additional functionality, when you enrol in Apple's developer program, or when you sell through the App Store, but there are many things that can be created with limited to no cost and that are very user-friendly.